monitorTHIS! - March 2009 - (Page 17) Major League Baseball 2K9 X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii [2K SportS] MLB 2K9 makes significant improvements over MLB 2K8. First, the pitching focuses on accuracy of the controller rather than timing. Second, hitting is less based on timing. 2K Sports went for more fun than realism, using both sticks to influence gameplay. One stick controls swing while the other controls direction. MLB 2K9 probably won’t be a grand slam, but it’ll be worth its weight in corked bats. In Stores March 3 Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard X360, PS3 [D3] ’80s video game action heroes? Like Billy and Jimmy Lee from Double Dragon and Blade and Striker from Bad Dudes? Yes! D3 is all currentgen nostalgic on Eat Lead. Actually, they’re spoofing action games. Look for tons of video game culture references. Matt Hazard returns to star in an action game that goes wrong. So, a video game hero returning (debuting) to video games? Exactly. In Stores March 3 Mario Power Tennis Wii [NiNteNDo] Ph.D. is playable as a drop-in character at any time. As Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., gamers can solve puzzles, fry foes with cool gadgets and access unreachable areas. The ’50s monster movie theme is prevalent throughout Monsters vs. Aliens: The Game. Homage to The Blob, The Fly, Godzilla and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman are blatantly obvious. As are Gallaxhar’s four eyes, obscenely large alien forehead—a modern-stupid take on Warner Bros.’ Marvin the Martian character—and his super-mega-massive mothership. The parodies don’t end there either. Moronic government officials, laugh-out-loud secret installations (Area 52, anyone?), idiotic situations and snappy dialogue transform Monsters vs. Aliens: The Game from simple to savior movie port. Monsters vs. Aliens will hit stores in March for PS3, PS2, X360, Wii, DS and PC. You’ve played Wii Sports tennis. You can power serve every time. You even whacked your mom in the head while attempting to answer a wicked backhand. Nintendo reprises Mario Tennis for the Wii. Standard Wii Remote tennis remains central to Mario Power Tennis, but expect lots of “gimmicks” and other zany options to add less realism and more joy. Eighteen characters, including newbie Wiggler, will be playable. In Stores March 9 Samurai Shodown Anthology PS2, PSP, Wii [SNK playmore] We blew a ton of Washingtons on coin-op Samurai Shodown. But seven iterations of the cult fighter packed into one title? That’s a lot of Haohmaru! While it’s perfectly normal to salivate over III, it’s Samurai Shodown II—slashin’ Ukyo and fartin’ Earthquake fans rejoice—that makes SNK Playmore’s anthology a real jewel. In fact, defunct EGM ranks II as one of its Top Ten Cult Classics. In Stores March 10 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 X360, PS3, PS2 [Namco BaNDai] KOEI-driven hack ‘n’ slashers go from ancient China to mech and anime-based sci-fi. In Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2, players pick man and machine based off the popular Gundam series, battle endless metal monstrosities of various shapes and sizes, and walk home with sore thumbs and a Mountain Dew hangover. Pick up to 62 different Gundam suits. Destroy, erase, improve! In Stores March 24 Madworld Wii [UBiSoft] Nintendo is so cute. That is until Sega unleashes Madworld. Developed exclusively for the Wii, Madworld is a stylish black and white (red, too) hyper-violent beat-’em-up using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Take everyone and everything to task with flyin’ fists and an arm-mounted chainsaw. Main dude Jack impales his foes on in-game pointy things. Ever seen someone skewered on a 50-gallon drum? Neither have we. In Stores March 10 [ march 2009 + monitorthis! + 17 ]
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